Orpheum Theatre
216 W. Main Street,
Pipestone,
MN
56164
216 W. Main Street,
Pipestone,
MN
56164
1 person
favorited this theater
The Orpheum Theatre was opened September 1, 1920, and continued until the 1970’s.
Contributed by
Ken McIntyre
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
Here is a photo of the Orpheum from 1954:
http://tinyurl.com/rr526
This is a 1920 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/lsxgq
The October, 1920, issue of Western Magazine said: “Pipestone’s new $100,000 theater, the Orpheum, will be formally opened September 1.” Why an event taking place in September was written of in the future tense in October I don’t know.
The Orpheum was a beautiful balconied theater and had wonderful movies playing into the 1970’s-if it closed for any length of time in the ‘50’s it would have only been for renovations-the front was more elaborate by the 50’s…it was mostly destroyed by an early 1970’s fire and water damage that started on the same block… the address should be WEST main-not East.the Quarry theater address is East Main- the Orpheum was West-opposite ends of the Main Street Business District-Hiawatha Avenue determines east or west in the address in Pipestone
I worked at the Orpheum for about 11 years. Mr Heller was there when i started,and he sold the orpheum to Charlie McLaughlin, I also worked at the sunset drive inn theater.the years i dont remember for sure ,thinking it was late 70s or 80s. Tv seemed to take over old theaters,and film rental was getting out of hand,couldnt keep going at that price that the film compants wanted for the rent. alot of over head cost.
An article about the opening of the Quarry Twin Theatre in the May 17, 1979, issue of the Pipestone County Star said that the town had been without an indoor theater since the Orpheum had closed in 1973.
Pipestone had another another theater, opened in 1931 as the Alo and renamed the State in 1937. I’m not sure when it closed, but the building was reportedly demolished in 1962 to make way for a Skelly gas station. It was on East Main Street, but I’ve been unable to find the address.
Here is another photo of Main Street with the Orpheum. It shows that the theater was a couple of doors farther down that I thought it was. The building to its right is still standing. The Orpheum was partly on the site of the grassy space next door to that building and partly on the site of the retro-styled brick building with Henriksen’s optometry offices in it. Henriksen’s is at 212 W. Main, and the Liberty Pawn Shop in the old building is at 224, so the address of the Orpheum was most likely 216 W. Main.